Mammals

Deer

Bats

There are 18 species of bats in the UK, and 12 species have been recorded near Cotleigh. Greater horseshoe bats are present in the area and more information can be found here.

The most common type of bat that you will see, is the Pipistrelle.

There are 3 species of pipistrelle that are commonly found in the UK, the common, soprano and Nathusius’. They are the smallest of the British bats, with both the common and soprano likely to be found in most areas – including the middle to towns and cities. The Nathusius’ is a rarer, migratory bat, normally found near water.

In a survey carried out near the village in July 2017 using a sound detector over 3 nights, and then the recording sent back for scientific analysis, the following bats were found to be present,

As can been seen, Cotleigh is very fortunate to have two thirds of bat species found in the UK, and coupled with the Dark Sky’s in the area, you can often view bats feeding at dawn and dusk. This photo is of a common Pipestrelle

Dormice

Dormice have greatly declined in this country, but we are lucky in this area to have good numbers of dormice living in our woodland. Dormice have orangey coloured fur, which extends to a fur covered tail, which is a good way of identifying dormice from other mouse species